Right above the Jay Falls is the Jay Covered Bridge which is an historical landmark. The wooden bridge crosses the Ausable River in Jay (spanning 175 feet) and was built in 1857 and then restored in 2006. 

Located in Jay, New York the bridge is approximately 25 minutes from Lake Placid. 

Now you may be wondering why a trip to see this bridge is so special. I was surprised to learn that starting in the early 1800s New York state was actually filled with lots of covered bridges throughout the state. I was surprised because it is typically the state of Vermont that we think of with the covered bridges, but New York had hundreds of them at one point in time. 

But now the Jay Covered Bridge is the last one in the Adirondacks and its the longest one (of the 22 that are still standing) in the state. It's amazing to think of how much history has taken place here and that this is still here at this point in our History. 

This bridge is a beautiful place to visit or have a picnic in the warmer weather (plus offers a beautiful view of the Jay Falls)! I can't recommend checking it out- such a small but beautiful piece of history located right in the Adirondack Park!

Thank you so much for reading today friends! Please let me know if you have any questions about the Jay Covered Bridge, the #adk50falls challenge or Jay Falls! I am happy to answer and can't wait to hear about your own waterfall adventures! Have a wonderful day!

One of the most overwhelming questions that I receive on a weekly basis is, "How you do you plan your cruises?". It is a great question that I know after I went on my first cruise in 2014 (and was excited to go back on another one!) I researched myself. Before I start though I do want to say that I don't think that there is necessarily "one right way" to plan for your perfect cruise, but I hope that these 6 tips and ideas will give you some starting points to help you plan a fun-filled and memorable vacation! 

This post actually came at the perfect timing since I am in the midst of planning a couple of cruises for the future so it was fun to write this post and consider a lot of different things! Depending on who you are traveling with it is always fun to get together and plan out all of the details. If you are traveling with those who live far away (like I am for a couple of upcoming trips) than lots of text messages, fb messages, face-timing and phone calls happen. *smiles* Thankfully with modern technology it makes it extremely fun and easy to plan a fun trip! 

Here are 6 tips to help you plan your perfect cruise:

1. Figure out where you want to go.

This first tips is the most fun and yet can be the hardest decision to make. Our world is so beautiful and there are so many different amazing cruising options. You can chose to see so many amazing places without even leaving North America! And then when you consider European, Asian, or African cruises you have so many different options to consider. 

And don't forget to consider a river cruise! If y'all have been around here for a little bit of time then you know that I fell in love with River Cruising after our Rhine River Cruise last year and highly recommend it! (Curious about the differences between an ocean and river cruise? Check out this blog post here: River Cruising vs. Ocean Cruising: 23 Key Differences to Know)

One of the first things to consider is your all-time dream places to visit. Cruising can be an affordable way to be able to see some of your dream destinations at an affordable cost so consider where you have always wanted to travel. Also think about the weather- are you hoping to go to a Caribbean or warm-weather destination or are you looking for adventure in Alaska? Consider all of these things as you dream about where you want to go.

Some additional posts to help you with your list making in this step: 

Top 10 Must Pack Items for a New England/Canada Cruise

Top 13 Must Pack Items for a Caribbean Cruise

2. Choose Your Cruise Line

Every single cruise line has different pros and cons to it. Some are incredibly cheap but not the most clean. Some are extremely expensive and only travel to certain ports. You will want to really think through where you want to spend your money and what is the most important things to you. Since I am cruising with a chronic illness, some very important things to me are the price, the cleanliness of the cruise line, the reputation of the cruise line (i.e. I don't want to get on a ship that has had a ton of different "health issues"), the allergy-food "friendliness", etc. Think through what is important to you and what you are willing to compromise if money is a factor. 

Some additional posts to help you with your list making in this step:

(If you would like to know more about Cruise Lines I have sailed with please click on the different links below)

Disney Cruise Line

Royal Caribbean Cruise Line

Viking River Cruise Line

3. Choose Your Ship

Every single cruise line has so many different ships that each come with different perks and offers. Make sure to really research not only where you want to go but the different ships that are offered with the cruise line you are taking. 

(If you are sailing on the Disney's Dream you can read my review HERE or if you are sailing on the Viking Eir you can read my review HERE!)

4. Plan How Long You Want to Go

Cruising is wonderful in that it offers short and long cruises to some of the most beautiful destinations. If you are short on time you can still take a 2 or 3 night cruise. You may think that it is not long enough to get away or relax, but honestly, every single 3 night cruise I have taken has been wonderful. Sometimes all you need is a few days away to get refreshed and inspired. 

5. Choosing Shore Excursions

Once you have picked where you want to go and how long you want to cruise for the next exciting thing that you get to choose is what shore excursions you will want to do. I have done a variety of different types of shore excursions. I personally think that it is fun to pick a shore excursion and then still have time to explore the port city that you are stopped in. 

This has happened quite a few times on different cruises but one of my favorites was on the Viking River Cruise where we had a tour in the morning, then my mom and I went to Mass in France and then spent the rest of the day exploring Strausbourg on our own. It was absolutely wonderful.  

My parents and I loved our snorkeling adventure at Coco Cay and then loved spending time exploring the island. Choosing Shore Excursions can be a bit overwhelming but it is so fun to choose from all of the different options. Take time to really explore and compare and it will make your cruise even more perfect! 

Sometimes you may want to splurge on an excursion that you have always wanted to do. This was the case for Emily and I when we chose to invest in Aquaventure at Atlantis while on our Disney Cruise. 

We had the best time but it was a splurge that we saved for for almost a year. Do we regret it? Not at all. We both have said that we probably could never afford to do it again, but it was definitely a once-in-a-lifetime memory! Sometimes the best excursions have been the cheapest and sometimes you splurge on one that you will never forget! 

6. Choosing What to Pack

Packing for a cruise is one of the most fun things to do! If you are looking for packing tips you can find the following posts I have written:

16 Unexpected Things to Bring on Every Cruise

13 Must Pack Items for a Caribbean Cruise

10 Must Pack Items for a New England and Canada Cruise

10 Things People Forget to Bring on Their First Cruise

3 Important Documents to Bring on Every Cruise

5 Things People Forget to Bring on Their First European River Cruise

5 Must Pack Items for a Disney Cruise

I hope that these 6 tips have been helpful! Let me know if y'all have any questions!

Dear friends, If you have been around the December Caravan shop for the last 6 years then you may remember that I take a "creative retreat" away every year in the Spring as we prepare to move into the cabin for the summer. This year I decided to start that early and will be re-opening the shop on June 1st with lots of new goodies!

Jay Falls is located in Jay, New York and is approximately 25 minutes from Lake Placid. The falls are broad falls and are easy to see from the parking spots (the pictures above were all taken from right outside my car). 

Located right above Jay Falls is the Jay Covered Bridge which is the only covered bridge remaining in Essex County. It was built in 1857 and was rehabilitated in 2006. You can easily walk across it and see the falls from the windows or walk to the other side and see more views of the falls from the other side of the bridge. 

The pictures above are from the left side of the bridge. Some of the pictures were taken from the parking spots on that side and then I also climbed down (about 3 feet) to be closer to the water to take a few more. 

After walking back across the bridge to return to my car and parking area I decided to follow a little path down to get closer to the falls. The path down is about 15 feet down and it leads you to some huge rocks that you can sit on to be close to the falls and sit there. 

I saw that there was a tiny path that continued on and decided to follow it up to the top of the falls. Along the way someone had placed some rocks to use as stepping stones to cross the stream that flows into the river. Aren't they so cute? *smiles*

I saw this in one of the rocks as I walked along and wondered what it was used for? Maybe to tie things up? It was pretty far away from the river so it made me definitely curious!

The top of the falls were simply gorgeous and I sat for a long time just listening to the water and appreciating the beauty around me. I can't recommend a visit to Jay Falls enough and hope that y'all will join in on this very fun challenge!

When I was extremely sick I used to grieve not being able to be outside in nature as much as I wanted to be and if this is where you are at due to health reasons I hope that the information I provide about each of the falls in this challenge will encourage you to explore as you are able.
..
......JAY FALLS INFORMATION......

LOCATION: 

38 John Fountain Road, Jay, NY 12941 (approx. 50 minutes from Plattsburgh // 25 from Lake Placid)

TYPE OF FALLS: 

20 foot falls (broad set)

KEY LANDMARKS: 

Jay Covered Bridge (Built in 1857- rehabilitated in 2006) - only covered bridge remaining in Essex County

COST: 

Free

PARKING: 

Very small parking area. There were 3 parking spots on each side of the Jay Bridge (including 1 disability parking spot on each side). 

CROWDED?: 

No. I arrived at the falls around noon on a Saturday in April and only saw two other people while I was there. At one point I had the entire area to myself. 

DISTANCE TO FALLS FROM PARKING AREA: 

None. You can see the falls from the parking spots (on either side of the river). If you want to get closer to the falls you can walk down from the parking lot and explore a bit along the river.

DISABILITY FRIENDY?: 

Yes. The parking includes space for those with tags, but the great thing is that you can enjoy these falls even if you can't get out of the car. You will be able to see a view of them from the parking area. If you are able to, you only have to walk approx. 50 feet to the bridge. There are also benches to sit on both sides of the river.

You can see a couple of videos of Jay Falls on my stories on Instagram (click the #adk50falls icon)!

Thank you so much for reading today friends! Please let me know if you have any questions about the challenge or Jay Falls! I am happy to answer and can't wait to hear about your waterfall adventures! Have a wonderful day!